A Letter from President Bob Ryan

In late May, members of the International Commission on the Apostolate of Jesuit Education (ICAJE) met with Pope Francis. He praised the Jesuits for their educational model, which has “enabled young people to enter into contact with the Gospel, with service to others, and thus to contribute to the common good.” 

This language from Pope Francis has resonated with me as I’ve reflected on the past school year. In particular, I’m struck by the myriad ways our students were “enabled to enter into contact with the Gospel” and deepen their relationship with God. There were very few days when there weren’t students at Manresa for one retreat or another. Ten students participated in the RCIA program and received the sacrament of confirmation in late April. We had regular attendance at our twice-weekly lunchtime mass and during Lent, students requested daily mass. 

Finally, in the spring we held Brophy’s first silent retreat for students which was very popular. Related, Brophy recently purchased two large homes near campus. One will become the home of our Alumni Service Corps and the other is an in-town retreat space for students. These new spaces enhance our ability to facilitate the sort of encounter that Pope Francis speaks of. 

Later in his reflections, Pope Francis said we must commit to, “an education that leads [young people] to discover the true fullness of life, when one uses one’s personal gifts and abilities in collaboration with others, for the construction of a more humane and fraternal society and world.” I’ve had these words on my mind these last few weeks as I’ve observed all the activity on campus this summer. Each day, more than 800 middle school students participate in our summer enrichment program, enjoying activities that range from baking to creative writing to robotics and drone flying to any number of athletic camps. Forty of our rising sophomores have been serving as hosts and mentors to nearly 100 primary age children who participate in our Summer Loyola Project program. 

This summer, we will have students and teachers on immersion experiences in Appalachia, rural Montana, El Salvador, Spain, Peru, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Zambia. Manresa has been in use every day of the summer, hosting our final Kairos retreat of the year as well as incoming freshmen participating in SHEP, our summer honors enrichment program. Two sections of our U.S. Government class traveled to Washington D.C., more than 900 high school students have been on campus taking classes, our Speech and Debate team is headed to nationals, and each of our athletic programs have been in full swing all summer. 

I want to close by calling your attention to the two feature stories in this magazine. Our cover story profiles five of our original Loyola Academy scholars. Their journeys — from sixth grade boys to college graduates and leaders in the community — serve as powerful reminders of what’s possible when young people are provided with opportunity and a loving community. We couldn’t be prouder of Nelson, Freddy, Bobby, Sebastien, Jesus, and all the other Loyola Academy alumni whose successes certainly serve as “proof of concept” of this ambitious program. 

Finally, we provide a thorough account of how our teachers and students are using Artificial Intelligence. Even before ChatGPT was introduced, our teachers were discussing how to harness, not hide from, the power of this technological innovation. Ever since, schools from across the country have been looking to learn from our teachers and leadership team. 

All of us are just beginning to understand the extent to which Artificial Intelligence will impact nearly every aspect of our lives. In education, some are questioning whether teachers or even schools will be necessary in the future. At Brophy, I’m convinced that the opposite is true: The more AI becomes embedded into our daily lives, the more critical Jesuit education will be for our future leaders.